Source: Final UX3000 review: Affordable ANC bliss
(Pocket-lint) – When we think of the Final brand, we immediately think of their high-end audiophile gear. With the UX3000, however, we see something very different.
While the company’s extravagant (and achingly expensive) Sonorous line of headphones are the kind of cans that have their own dedicated listening room and cables that need to be handled with satin gloves, the UX3000s are the ones you’d love to rock on your morning commute.
These are ANC Bluetooth headphones at a very affordable price.
The question is, will the audiophile magic that also epitomizes Final trickle down to the humble UX3000, or are they just another set of Bluetooth headphones doomed to get lost in a sea of similarly priced options?
We tested them to find out.
We were really impressed with the performance of the UX3000. They sound like they should cost twice – if not triple – their asking price.
Active noise-cancellation is excellent too – especially given that this is Final’s first foray into space.
When it comes to features, there’s not much to report, and the build quality won’t surprise you either. We like the unique Shibo finish, but we also imagine it puts people off.
What’s on offer here revolves mostly around audio performance, and it’s in that department that the UX3000 delivers in spades. You might even find them a good gaming companion thanks to aptX Low Latency support and soundstage spatial accuracy.
The only thing stopping us from using these headphones all day is the lack of an ambient mode, as sometimes we really need to hear when someone is at the door. Otherwise we would rarely want to take them off.
- Excellent audio quality
- Fingerprint resistant finish
- Excellent noise cancellation
- AptX Low Latency for gaming
- No ambient mode
- Unusual key configuration
- The finish won’t be to everyone’s liking
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design and build
- Textured black Shibo finish
- 35 hours playback per charge
- Package Contents: Drawstring carry case, USB-C cable, 3.5mm cable
The UX3000 headphones feature a unique textured finish that reminds us of a high-end camera body, but without the cold hand feeling of being made of plastic. Final calls it Shibo, a Japanese word that refers to the wrinkling of the surface of paper or leather.
In practical terms, this means that the headphones are very resistant to fingerprints and smudges, which we think is a big plus. We think it looks pretty good too, and it adds a unique touch to an otherwise understated pair of all-black headphones.
On the same note, however, we can also imagine that others are less into the styling. As always, it’s a matter of personal preference.
The headphones are lightweight at around 260 grams and have nice soft ear cups wrapped in a faux leather fabric. The headband has light padding and is fairly adjustable but prefers the larger sizes. So if you have a particularly small head, you may run into problems.
The UX3000 fit comfortably during our testing and felt very secure and sealed, but without excessive clamping force. When we first put them on, we immediately noticed the passive noise cancellation. Even without ANC enabled, you’ll have trouble hearing the doorbell with these on. The earcups are on the smaller side and fit comfortably around our ears, but that may differ for those with larger ears, we think.
Charging, meanwhile, is via a USB Type-C port on the left earcup. There’s no fancy fast-charging tech to speak of, but flat-to-full will set you back a reasonable two-and-a-half hours. Juiced, they’ll give you 35 hours of music playback with ANC off, or 25 hours with ANC on.
These aren’t staggering numbers, but it’s still more than enough to get you through a few days.
Interestingly, the ANC activates separately from the rest of the headphones, so you can leave the headphones off but leave the ANC on by long-pressing the ANC button on the left earcup. This is a great feature if you just need some quiet on a flight, for example, but you have to remember to switch it off when you’re done – otherwise you’ll be sitting there all day draining the battery.
Music control is entirely via physical buttons rather than touch controls, which we tend to prefer – especially on cheaper headphones.
The layout is simple: there’s a power button, volume up and down, and the aforementioned ANC button. It’s a minor issue, but the ANC button is on par with the volume on the right earcup, and it seems more sensible to be in line with the power button. They tend to turn on and off at the same time, and we’ve found that we’ve hit the wrong button from time to time.
Inside the box, meanwhile, you’ll find a 3.5mm cable for wired listening, a USB-C cable for charging, and a soft drawstring pouch for portability. The case is on the basic side, but it does the job of protecting the headphones from scratches.
sound quality
- Bluetooth 5.0
- AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX Low Latency codec support
- Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
- Hybrid active noise cancellation
As you might have already noticed, the UX3000s are a pretty basic set of headphones in terms of features – there are no party tricks, apps or flashy styling.
Instead, Final has focused on what matters most: how they sound.
We’re happy to report that the UX3000 sounds fantastic, especially when you consider the asking price.
There’s no overbearing EQ you’ll find on similarly priced Bluetooth headphones, and instead the UX3000 feels precise and well-tuned.
It has to be said that we found this sound preferable with ANC on, with a noticeable difference when ANC was off. That’s not always the case with premium-sounding headphones.
With ANC on, the low-end is more pronounced and the lower mids are also boosted, resulting in a warmer and more engaging sound. They still sound good with ANC off, but it’s just not as lively.
The imaging is impressive and feels accurate, with good separation and a sense of depth to the sound. And while it can’t compete with open-back headphones, it offers a wider soundstage than most Bluetooth headphones.
Bass is punchy without being boisterous, stretching very low when it should but not overdoing it on tracks where it’s absent. Bass fans might not get what they’re looking for here, but if accuracy is what you’re after, the bottom end has more than enough rumble and extends smoothly into the mid-range without dirtying things.
The greatest impact comes from the high-end, which manages to sound sharp and accurate without being too bright and penetrating. The vocals are also much more present than with comparable headphones, but we noticed that they can occasionally sound a bit compressed.
Last but not least, the ANC performance is really excellent. It might not quite live up to the Bose Noise Canceling 700 or the Sony WH-1000XM4, but it’s one of the better ANC systems we’ve tried in this price range, and that’s no small feat considering the finale went into space for the first time.
Unfortunately, there’s no “Ambient” or “Stay Awareness” mode on these headphones, and with such a good passive shutter, it’s difficult to keep track of what’s going on around you when casually listening. This is something we’d like to see added if Final decides to release a follow-up.
The Final UX3000 headphones offer sound quality that is largely unmatched at this price point. Features are very few and the styling is unlikely to blow your socks off, but you’ll struggle to do better without doubling your budget if excellent noise-cancellation and audio fidelity are high on your wish list.
Written by Luke Baker. Editing by Conor Allison.
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